MINNEAPOLIS — Between Pride, the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials and Taste of Minnesota, tens of thousands of people have flocked to Minneapolis in recent weeks, as the downtown corridor continues to show signs of strength.
Still, crime perceptions linger, fueled in part by incidents like Monday morning's triple shooting in the Warehouse District, which occurred at closing time around 2 a.m.
In an interview with reporters on Monday afternoon, MPD Chief Brian O'Hara said that shooting is part of a larger pattern involving "people getting drunk and going to cars to get guns and using them out of complete foolishness."
"Downtown is different from other areas of the city in that we have a very confined space that we know is problematic, where all the bars are clustered and we know the times of day and times of week that are a problem," O'Hara said. "Typically, we have been able to flood the area with police officers and monitor cameras pretty intensely."
O'Hara described a "very robust, late-night safety plan" that he credits for helping curb violence in downtown neighborhoods.
According to MPD data, shots fired calls across the First Precinct are down 41 percent this year compared to the previous three-year average. The number of gunshot wound victims, meanwhile, has dropped 61 percent compared to the previous three years.
"Our officers have made dozens and dozens of arrests just this year, downtown, preventing shootings, being able to track people on camera," O'Hara said, "that get drunk and go to their cars and get guns."
Minneapolis police have not made any arrests in Monday's triple shooting.
"We're sad when things happen," said Charles Hurd, the chief operating officer of MAD Dads. "It's just proof that we need more work out there and we need more of us to continue and try and do the work."
Hurd said his group continues to employ two teams of six people to roam different areas of downtown on a nightly basis. Those team members work to interrupt violent incidents before they happen.
"I can't tell you how many times we stop someone who had a knife, who was going to do something, or a fight beforehand," Hurd said. "I commend our team. They keep their ear to the street, they understand what's going on in the streets, and that way, we know when something is going to break out or if something is going to happen beforehand. We can try to get involved and stop it."
Through a contract with the city of Minneapolis, MAD Dads is part of a larger public safety that also includes the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
"The downtown safety plan includes a layered strategy, everything from our partnerships to the street outreach and violence prevention interrupters," Minneapolis Downtown Council Chief of Staff Ben Shardlow said. "We know having more positive activities and positive behavior does lead directly to better safety outcomes."
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